


koi no yokan

by kitsunecastiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angel Courtship (Supernatural), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon Kevin Tran, Elf Sam Winchester, F/F, F/M, First Meetings, Gen, Hunter Dean Winchester, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Mutual Pining, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Openly Bisexual Dean Winchester, Phoenix Charlie Bradbury, Seraph Castiel (Supernatural), Slow Burn, Soulmates, Temporary Character Death, The Rag-Tag Family of Demon Hunters You Never Knew You Needed, Vampire Ellen Harvelle, Vampire Jo Harvelle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 11:38:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19463203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitsunecastiel/pseuds/kitsunecastiel
Summary: [CURRENT WIP]In a modern society where humans and Creatures co-exist in peace and soulmates are bound at their birth by an ancient all-knowing celestial known as Koi No Yokan, Dean Winchester spends his days beside his younger brother Sam and their rag-tag family of fellow demon hunters, banishing the evil sons of bitches that target and slaughter unbonded soulmate pairs in an act of rebellion against Koi No Yokan.Yet, everything goes south the moment the so-called benevolent god introduces Dean and his team to their soulmates all within the same night and publicly establish their collective status as unbonded. No longer invisible to the dark forces, Dean and his beloved band of misfits must embark on a wild-goose chase across the universe to locate and woo their soulmates before any of them are killed by the demonic suckers they hunt for a living. Nothing the Winchester brood can’t do, right?If only Dean hadn’t been the first ever non-Angel chosen for one of the Heavenly Host.





	koi no yokan

**Author's Note:**

> This particular epic tale-in-the-making is a soulmate AU inspired by a few ideas I’ve seen on Tumblr! Just to make it harder for myself, I added a few primordial celestials (hey there, Koi No Yokan), hordes of mythical beings (Creatures) and supernatural *cough* abilities into the mix. Go big or go home, they say? XD
> 
> This is a WIP, as I am rushing to finish another fic for the DCBB this year right now (Kit, rampant procrastinator at your service), yet I aim to pick up this story again after I finish that one! If you like this chapter and want to see where the story goes, go ahead and subscribe so you won’t miss an instalment! 
> 
> Let me know what you think about this story when you get to reading it! If you have any questions about this verse or simply wanna rant about SPN with me (A LONG ERA IS ENDING, FELLAS), feel free to ask me in the comments or come hang out at [my tumblr :)](http://kitsunecastiel.tumblr.com/) I promise I don't bite. <3
> 
> Without further ado, let’s join the Winchester lads and their makeshift family as they are thrown into the adventure of a lifetime - kicking ass, taking names, and making dumb decisions (falling in love is one of these, probably)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my friend [Edita](https://spacetrashcan.tumblr.com/) (I had to do it to 'em) for beta-ing this chapter! :)

The Impala growls with a huff of smoke, hurtling down the highway in a race against time. Dean’s eyes bore into the road ahead, his calloused hands gripping the steering wheel. His younger brother, Sam, sits in the passenger seat beside him, checking in on the other team members over the Network.

The clock is ticking.

Sam, who’s in charge of finding these cases, has gotten word of an unbonded pair of soulmates over in Wichita, who’ve been targeted by Azazel and his asshole crew of black-eyed demons. As per their self-proclaimed job, Sam, Dean, and their crew are off to go rescue the endangered couple - before the two civilians are slaughtered, preferably. Hell, if Dean knows anything about the demonic suckers, it’s that they don’t like to take things slow. They’re there to kill their target and that’s what they’re gonna do. So, you gotta get there first, or you will be left with nothing but a mangled corpse and the missing body of their soulmate to report.

“How far are we, Sam?” asks Dean.

“10 miles.” Sam answers.

“Fuck,” Dean curses, rolling up the car window nearest to him with one hand while the other remains on the steering wheel. “Man, don’t you just love breathing in the stench of sulfur on a Friday night?”

“Haha. Hilarious, even,” Sam’s tone is thick with sarcasm. “Dean, we’re on a case here. You know we can’t afford to lose another couple.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. I know.”

“Did you take the painkillers I gave you?” Dean glimpses Sam’s concerned frown in the mirror.

“Yes, mom! Jeez, I _can_ handle a headache, you know. I’m always sitting right next to one.” That earns him a whack on the arm.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“You do know I’m only trying to make sure you’re okay, Dean. These soulmate visions are nothing short of intense.” says Sam, scanning through the map he’s placed on Baby’s dashboard.

“Intense? They feel like someone’s pinned me down and is driving a pickaxe through my skull. You should try it sometime.”

“No thanks. Plus, you’re not the only one getting them. Bobby, Ellen, Charlie, Jo - even me and Kevin are all suffering from these soulmate visions too. The big difference is we’re not human and you are, Dean. We handle them better than you do.”

The road sign signalling their entry into Wichita smudges like wet paint as Dean races past it, looking to stop at their group’s designated meeting point. Bobby and the others should be there soon enough, if they’re not already waiting for Sam and Dean. Damn Creature perks.

“God, just because I don’t have magic flying out of my ass like you guys do doesn’t mean I’m any less capable of hunting! My job is to save lives and that’s what I’m here to do. Nothing’s gonna change my mind about that, Sammy.” Dean snaps. He doesn’t mean to be an asshole (for once), yet Sam doesn’t understand how humiliating it feels to be the only human in your squad. Two years back, when Sam was still human, he had his big brother, Dean, beside him. Fast forward to now and Sam’s a Creature. Same guy, just a new body. Dean’s been left alone in his human weakness, and it goddamn sucks.

“It’s Sam. And I’m just saying. Last time, you nearly crashed the Impala because you were basically blinded by a soulmate vision! That’s not supposed to happen!”

“Well, that’s got nothing to do with me being human, Sam! It’s something else. Don’t know what, but hell, you need to stop blaming every failure of mine on the fact that I don’t have Creature blood in me. So what? Neither did you until the old folks upstairs decided to return you to us as a frickin’ elf of all things after you died!”

“Dean, it was either that or stay dead, and that’s not the point! The point is that you’re unstable, and it puts you at serious risk while on the job.” Sam’s tone softens.

“And you guys aren’t? I’ve been doing this for twenty fucking years, Sam! I can assure you, no godforsaken demon is getting the pleasure of killing me,” At that, Dean parks up on the side of the road close to where Bobby’s prized Roc, Rumsfeld, perches. “Anyway. Can’t believe we got beat by a giant flying turkey.” 

“His name is Rumsfeld, ya idjit!” Dean shakes his head in subtle amusement at Bobby’s outburst, popping the trunk of the Impala and readying his weapons with Sam’s assistance. Bobby gestures for Sam and Dean to hurry over, and they do. “Catch any sight of the couple? This place reeks of sulfur, but apart from that, there are no signs of demonic activity ‘round here.” he asks, Dean shakes his head in response.

“Same here. There’s nothing.”

“Well, you know what that means, boys! We search the premises! They’ll be around here somewhere.” Typical of Ellen to show up right on time. Her and her only daughter, Jo, are a bit _too_ stealthy for Dean’s liking, yet that does come in handy for trying times like these.

“Good to see you guys made it in one piece. You know, since you vamps hate the sun n’ all.” Dean smirks. He knows it’s a serious task they’re taking part in, yet Dean can’t help but buckle under the nervous tension and thus reverts to his usual coping strategy. Shitty jokes.

“That’s a well-known myth, you prick!” Jo whines, crossing her arms. Dean chuckles, standing to the side whilst everyone else finishes preparing for the search.

“Now you know how I feel when I’m around you.” Kevin raises an eyebrow, playfully knocking Jo over the head with his tail. She stumbles over, caught off-guard.

“Everybody here?” Sam calls out, standing in the middle of the makeshift circle the seven of them have formed.

“Reporting for duty!” Materialising in a ball of fire, Charlie bows in greeting at Sam, Dean, and the rest before shifting into her human form. 

“I take that as a yes. Dean, you’re up.” Sam nudges Dean, and on cue, Dean steps forward.

“You got it. So, as we all know, there’s an unbonded couple 'round here somewhere with demons on their ass. Fortunately, there seem to be no signs of dark activity aside from the smell, and no dead bodies either. Can’t say it’ll be that way for much longer.” 

Six heads nod in sync.

“What’s the plan, Dean?” asks Jo.

“I say we split up in pairs and search these woods as our lives depend on it. You know the drill. Alert the rest of us over the Network if you find anything or if you run into demons. We all regroup wherever we find the couple. It’s important to keep an eye on them at all times. These black-eyed bastards are getting smarter.”

“Noted.” Sam speaks for the group, and Dean carries on talking.

“Ellen and Kevin, you go east. Jo and Charlie, you go west. Sam and I will go southward.” 

“Gotcha!” Charlie shifts back into her true form without hesitation, the glossy scales scattered across her wings and body soon set aflame. Kevin follows suit, morphing into his own much larger true form.

“Ready whenever you are!” He spreads out his wings, although his words come out as a low rumble thanks to his dragon physique. Ellen and Jo unsheath their fangs in anticipation.

“Alright. Bobby, do you think you can search north on your own or do you want Sam to go with you?” Dean pulls Bobby aside as the others bolt deeper into the woods. Bobby shakes his head, placing his hands on Dean’s shoulders.

“Nah, I’ve got Rumsfeld with me, but I do appreciate the thought. I gotta say though, if any one of us does need backup, it’s you, son.” 

“Yeah, Dean. Another soulmate vision could incapacitate you any second.” Sam butts in, leaving Bobby to shove himself off his wheelchair and onto Rumsfeld, taking off northward. They’re now alone in the clearing.

“Get off my back, Sam! What about you guys? Didn’t you just say we’re all suffering those damn visions?” Dean scowls, moving through the underbrush.

“So he does listen, after all.” Sam huffs. 

“Shut it, you. Can we just focus on finding these people before they’re made into demon chow and talk about the whole soulmate visions crap later, if we must?” Dean gripes, wanting to do anything other than arguing again over a stupid, inconvenient thing such as his awakening soulmate calling. 

“Fine, fine. But the second you feel a headache coming on, you’re going with Bobby. Got that?” Sam presses.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Capiche.”

“Actually, how are you fee-“

“ _Shh!_ I hear someone.” Dean interrupts, causing them both to crouch down behind a thicket of blackberries. 

“-ling,” Sam’s pointed ears flick forward, his patronising gaze being replaced with an attentive one. “Nevermind. It’s a woman. Fae, by the looks of it.”

“Demon or soulmate?” Dean whispers, his own eyes never leaving the stranger behind the thicket.

“Only one way to find that out. You update the others, I’ll check on her myself.” Sam answers, standing up and beginning to creep through the bushes as quiet as a ghost.

“And what if she is a demon?” 

“Then I’ll let you know. Go, Dean.”

With that, Dean trudges back to the clearing. The overpowering reek of sulfur attacks his throat, sending up a few hacking coughs in retaliation. Familiar voices pollute the waves of the Network, monotone with old news. Still, nothing found.

Trees. Trees. Shrubs. More trees.

Unless that Fae girl does happen to be either a demon or a member of the targeted soulmate pair, this hunt so far looks to be a bust. No soulmate visions yet, at least. Those things hurt like a bitch.

_**“DEAN!”** _

Dean freezes.

 ** _“SAM?”_**

_**“Get everybody here! The Fae girl, we’ve found her soulmate. But - ah, fuck - you gotta come quick! We’ve been jumped by demons and I can’t hold them off on my own for much longer!”**_ Sam yelps over the Network, sending their team into a restless frenzy.

 _ **“You heard the man! We found ‘em!”**_ Dean shouts and upon receiving Sam’s distress call, the six of them are scrambling towards the scene with murder in their eyes and readied weaponry in tow.

The terrified couple, the Fae woman and a dishevelled young man who must be her soulmate, are shielded by Sam’s gargantuan figure as he’s busy fending off four angry demons. Charlie’s gone over there already with Ellen and Jo, fanning out her fiery wings over Sam and the unbonded pair in a protective manner, providing the fleeing trio further protection from the enemy as Bobby commands Rumsfeld to swoop down on the demons from above. On the other hand, Jo and Ellen stick to scrapping tooth and nail with the remainder of them alongside Dean himself, Charlie, and Kevin. 

The host of Hell are powerful, incredibly agile, and immune to your standard bullets and blades. They are stubborn fuckers who’ll take a lot of damage before they even consider leaving their vessel. How you actually kill a demon is a whole other can of worms, however, yet for Dean and his company, it’s their custom to use either Sam’s special demon-slaying knife or one of Kevin’s intricate ‘demon bomb’ spells to get the job done. So far, aside from a few exorcisms, they’ve almost never had to resort to alternative methods.

“Fucking freshies,” Dean mutters under bated breath, seeing the unmistakable dribble of newly-shed blood from the slit necks of the demons’ current vessels. “Good thing you won’t be here to try your luck much further.” To punctuate his words, Dean plunges Sam’s one-of-a-kind knife into the chest cavity of an otherwise preoccupied demon and promptly rips it back out before the creature can retaliate. He’s dead in seconds.

“Hey, fuck you, Dean Winchester!” one of the hostile gang spits at him. “I’ll kill you for that!”

“That’s what they all say, sweetheart.” Dean sneers, setting himself into a fighting stance. 

If all is going to plan, Sam’s taken the targeted couple out to the safe point back near the Impala, like they’d discussed that morning. From there, Sam will guide the two in completing their bonding ritual and have them return to society. They’ll be safe, as far as being bonded goes. Demons can’t take fused souls, let alone possess their bodies. They can only do so to unbonded mortals who’ve received the Calling, hence why they’re all here.

Swerving to the left, Dean dodges a rogue knife thrown at his head. The metal whistles past his ear, lodging itself with a dull thud into the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Not a bad throw! Could’ve been better, obviously, but for a demon, you’re not half bad.” Dean teases, yanking the blade from the bark and tossing it at the demon’s head. Finding the knife embedded smack dab between her eyes, the demon girl growls in annoyance.

“God, you’re so infuriating, you know that?!” She reaches up, pulling out the blade and tossing it to the ground. Her hands leave her sides.

“What? It’s not like I - hurt you or anything.” Dean splutters, winded by the impact of being slammed against the solid surface of a tree-trunk. “Temper, much?”

“Dean! I gotcha!” Sam’s unmistakable voice resounds from afar. Dean breathes a sigh of relief, struggling to escape the demon’s apparent force-choke hold on him. 

“Never thought I’d see the day I’d come face to face with a frickin’ second-hand Darth Vader,” Dean grumbles, gritting his teeth as the demon bashes his head against the tree again. “Do you mind?!” He curses. Of course, she doesn’t give a flying shit. If anything, she’s doing it on purpose.

“What the hell, Dean?!” Sam exclaims, earning an exasperated eye roll from Dean. 

“Sammy! If you haven’t noticed, this lady has one hell of a temper problem and I’d rather not be skewered on this branch like a Turkish kebab while you just stand over there and look pretty, alright?” Dean gasps, sucking in another breath.

“I noticed!” Sam grunts, sprawling backwards in an effort to evade the demon girl’s telekinetic blasts.

“Azazel was right, you Winchesters are nothing more than a major pain in the ass!” She snarls, clenching her fists and Sam chokes on his retort. “I’ll do Lucifer a favour and get rid of you both so your so-called ‘team’ will stop interfering with our plans!”

Her ‘hold’ around Dean’s neck tightens and just like that, he’s being dragged up the tree at lightning speed, shards of bark peeling off with the sudden movement. Dean bites back an inhuman screech, seething in pain, yet refuses to avert his stony gaze from the smug-looking demon below him. Instead, he smirks, flipping her off for good measure. From the way she positively fumes at him, Dean swallows dryly. Yeah. That’s one pissed-off woman.

“I’m gonna kill you!” Sam voices Dean’s exact thought, tackling her to the ground. Her momentary distraction results in Dean being freed from her grasp. Except without her powers keeping him pinned against the tree, gravity retakes control and sees Dean fall. Cascading through the overhanging foliage, Dean once again loathes his human nature. From this height, if he doesn’t die by colliding into a tree, he 100% will by the time he lands. 

“Sam! Bobby! Charlie! Jo!” Dean shrieks, his sore limbs flailing in the tumble. “Ellen! Kevin! Please!” Fingers raw from the many failed attempts at grabbing onto a nearby branch and stopping himself mid-fall, Dean cries out, his head clamped in the thrall of an all familiar sensation. “God-fucking dammit!” He seethes, curling up into himself, bracing for the impact.

He’s having a soulmate vision. 

“Koi No Yokan, you son-of-a-bitch!”

The world smears olive green, an earthy, familiar shade present within all of his visions since Dean was a kid. It’s gotta be somewhat significant to be seen this often. He finds himself standing in a quiet meadow. It’s littered with daffodils and dandelions, as usual. Spring is eternal here. Dreamworld Dean observes in silence as the honey-bees buzz around his walking form. They’re everywhere. 

At last, there it is. The same old cobblestone cottage he visits in every vision, nestled in the centre of the meadow. He smiles at his beloved car being parked nearby and steps inside the house, taking off his jacket and placing it on the empty coat rack beside the door. A wrinkled beige trench coat and a set of keys have been thrown on the front table, it being painstakingly adorned with a few tiny potted plants and vanilla-scented candles. Like always, there lays an open book on the kitchen counter, a handwritten note pressed onto it.

Another note from his soulmate.

_‘To D.W.,_

_I saw a cherry pie on the display rack in my brother’s bakery today and I thought of you._

_Throughout the years, it has been made obvious to me that you must like pie very much, and so I learned to bake them for your sake. Don’t tell my brother I said said so, though. He’d never let me live it down. I still come here to this cottage in every vision of mine and see your leather jacket on the coat rack. Well, I assume that it’s yours, as I myself have never been inclined towards wearing such a garment. I have no doubt it suits you, though._

_Anyway, I hope you like the candles. I look forward to our meeting._

_Always yours,_

_C.N._

“You’re a sappy one, aren’t ya?”

Dean takes the note, folds it into his jean pocket and prays that whoever C.N. is, they aren’t some vegan hippie with a bee fetish. It doesn’t sound like it, though. For one, they write in cursive. Two, their choice of wording is really... old-fashioned? Professor, maybe? These recurring nature-filled dreams have Dean hoping for a good-looking gardener or something. Who knows? Either way, C.N. is still a mystery. As before, Dean can’t help but be pissed off at Koi No Yokan for her antics with the visions, yet at least the soulmate she’s picked for him doesn’t seem like an asshole. 

Love is complicated, though, and so Dean is walking into this with no real intentions of committing. Sure, there’s the whole soulmate bond to consider, but the fate thing’s never sat well with Dean. Besides, his soulmate might leave him themselves as soon as they find out Dean’s a part-time demon hunter. Or that he lives with his brother and five other people in a huge bunker complex - and they too are about to bring their soulmates home.

What if they dislike the real Dean?

“Dean!” A panicked voice shouts.

“Sam?” Dean rubs his eyes, blinking a few times. 

Oh. 

He remembers.

This is a dream. A soulmate vision. Any moment now he’ll return to reality - if Dean has somehow survived his brush with death.

“DEAN!” It repeats.

“...what?” His eyelids droop.

“Holy shit, Dean! Oh god, can you hear me?!” It persists. “Dean?”

“Loud ‘n clear...” The throbbing in his head returns with a vengeance.

As on cue, the world fades to black.

————————

Dean wakes up in his own bed. That means they’re back home in Lebanon. At the bunker.

Is that a good thing? He doesn’t know yet.

Groaning in protest, he moves to turn on the bedside lamp and instead finds a worried Sam sitting nearby.

“Oh thank God, you’re awake!”

“Wish I weren’t. Fuck, I’m sore. What happened? How long have I been out for the count?” Dean drawls.

“A few hours,” Sam replies. “Kevin caught you, if you were wondering.”

“Jeez. Tell him I say thanks. And what about that Fae chick and her soulmate? Are they safe?” 

Sam stiffens.

“Sam?”

“They’re dead, Dean. We failed.”

“They’re - _what?_ ” Dean’s jaw drops in shock and soon enough he’s sitting up on his bed with a whole lot of questions to ask.

“That demon girl who tried to kill you earlier didn’t die when I stabbed her with my knife. And that’s something. Every other one we’ve come across has.” Sam continues.

“Meaning?” Dean leans forward.

“She killed the Fae girl and her soulmate. Did it so fast I swear it was over in three seconds.”

Sam frowns, shaking his head.

“Okay, first off, I wanna know how in God’s name did she get past all of you in the first place? Don’t tell me it was because you guys were hovering over me or I will-”

“Dean, chill, alright? She wasn’t your usual demon. It’s serious. I’m talking Azazel-level dangerous here. Guys like those two are Lucifer’s higher-ups. They’re not even supposed to leave Hell, like ever! Nothing we have on us can kill her kind, Dean! She went and slaughtered the couple we were fighting to protect like we weren’t even standing there!” Sam’s frown deepens, his eyes cast downward. “So, tell me, what are we gonna do? ‘Cause there are innocent souls who are counting on hunters like us and our team to save them, and yet the seven of us can’t even beat one white-eyed demon! One! What happens when Hell gets word of our failure and decides to use that against every demon hunter out there?! We’re fucked, Dean! Lucifer’s after the soul of every unbonded person he can find, and we’re helpless to stop him!”

It’s a lot to take in. Sucking in a deep breath, Dean nods. He feels sick to his stomach. Defeat has never felt this hopeless.

“Well, we have to do something, Sam. Don’t know what exactly, but the last thing I’m gonna let us do is allow those bastards get to us like that.”

“But, Dean-“ Sam begins.

“Sam. Trust me on this one, alright? We’ll figure something out. Just... call everyone to the library, would ya? We should talk.”

“Alright, Dean. You got it,” Sam sits up and ambles over to the bedroom door. “Do you need anything or?”

“No, I’m fine for now. I’ll let Ellen know if that changes, don’t worry.” Dean responds, crawling out of bed and walking over to his drawers. The cuts on his back sting when he tries to pull on a clean shirt, and he flinches in pain when the fabric brushes too close against them. Sam just sends him an apologetic smile and hesitantly exits the room.

Moments later, the seven of them are gathered in the library as Dean had asked. 

Turns out things are heading south by the minute. First, it was Dean’s collapse, then it was their smoking defeat out in Wichita and the loss of a soulmate couple, and now Charlie and Jo are afraid for their own souls. They’ve received the Calling. Hell will be coming after them now.

“We’re not gonna let them sleep!” Dean slams his hands onto the map table and everyone snaps to attention.

“Why, Dean? They’ll need it now more than ever!” Kevin pipes up.

“Because you know how the Calling works, buddy. The second Charlie and Jo hit the hay, the second they’re thrown into the Dreamscape - there’s no turning back. They’ll wake up all fine and peachy, sure, but they’ll also be on every celestial’s radar in a universal radius as two unbonded meat-suits with vulnerable souls to spare. See the issue here?”

“Not if we find their soulmates first.” Sam blurts out.

“Excuse me, what?...Did you just say what I think you just said?” Dean gags in surprise. 

“Well, I was thinking, what if we do let Jo and Charlie enter the Dreamscape? They’ll find out the location of their soulmates that way and we can go and bring them back here.”

“Isn’t that the main idea?” Jo looks up at Sam.

“He’s more talking about going and getting you and Charlie bonded with your soulmates before Hell gets their way with ya. I personally think it’s the best idea we got so far.” Bobby explains.

“I agree. If we do that, Charlie and Jo would be better prepared to face off against Azazel and his goons than the rest of us will be, that’s for sure. I imagine it won’t be long now until the rest of us receive the Calling too.” Ellen nods in agreement.

“Yeah, about that. Add me to the list of vulnerable souls.” Kevin mutters, and the table falls silent.

“You’re kidding?” Dean exclaims. The shake of his head says it all. Now, three of their team of seven are faced with the night of their Encounter and Dean is nothing short of frustrated about it. Sam’s plan is the only reasonable one, and that makes Dean even more furious. He doesn’t want to put all of them in any more danger than they’d normally get into, and going on a search for their soulmates might as well be a suicide mission in itself. Those people could be based anywhere around the world, and Hell has the clear advantage in every sense of the word. It’s crazy to even consider Sam’s plan. Yet, it is either that or have the blood of their makeshift family and several innocent people on their hands forever. 

Dean hates it.

“I wanna go through with Sam’s idea.” says Charlie, her eyes trained on the grain of the table.

“You already know I’m with Char on this,” Jo places one arm around Charlie’s shoulder, and the other around Kevin’s. “We gotta do it.”

“Isn’t it our job to save soulmate couples, anyway?” Kevin adds.

“Yeah! You heard them loud and clear, Dean. It’s really the only shot we’ve got. Just think, if you yourself go and bond with your soulmate, you’ll stop having the visions - and you’ll be in better shape to fight with us for it,” Sam takes a cue from Jo and sets his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “It’ll do the same for me and the rest too. Our souls won’t be able to be taken after they’re fused.”

“But, Sam! You gotta understand, this is risky business you’re talking about,” Dean meets Sam’s gaze, eyes wild with worry. “If anybody, anybody out there knows what happens if you find your soulmate too late, it’s us! You could die trying! Hell, all of us could lose our own fucking souls over this!”

“What choice do we have, Dean? What do you want us to do?! Just wait here for the demons to knock on our doorstep?” Sam argues his point.

“Sam’s got a point there, son. Hell knows who we are, they see us as a threat. They’ll no doubt be going for our soulmates as we sit here worryin’.” Bobby intones.

“Exactly! If we don’t find them first, Azazel will! These people are our soulmates, Dean! They’re ours to protect!” Sam finishes, and Dean looks around to see everyone else nodding in assent. “Do you really want Lucifer to take your soul? Or mine? Or anyone else’s for that matter?” Dean sits in stunned silence, mulling over what’s just been said.

“Fine. We start the search tomorrow morning. My bet is that the rest of us will have entered the Dreamscape by the end of the night, and we’ll all know where our soulmates are by then. If we’re gonna have any chance of finding these people in time, we need to start now.”

“Alright. Let’s sleep on it.” says Ellen, and they soon disband for the night, agreeing to meet here again in the morning.

“Goodnight, guys.” Dean calls out to the others before heading to his room. He hears their mumbled responses as he shuts his bedroom door behind him.

“The last thing I wanna do is goddamn sleep.” Dean mutters under his breath, kicking off his boots and draping his jacket on the chair beside his bed. The action reminds him of the coat rack in the dream cottage, and then of that god-ugly trench coat laid across the table next to the front door. It all rushes back like a flash-flood, Dean finding himself thinking about green meadows and springtime flowers and even about those frickin’ honey-bees.

Yanking off his shirt to clean his cuts, Dean remembers how he saw Baby parked outside the house, and how he’d spied the guinea pig enclosure in the hallway while venturing into the kitchen. On the bench there, he’d found another handwritten note from his personal soulmate, C.N.

Wait a second. The note. He took it, didn’t he? Dean throws the cloth and antiseptic aside and fumbles in his jean pockets for the note. He pulls out his keys and a crumpled piece of parchment.

“Oh, thank Jesus,” Dean sighs in relief, placing the keys on the nightstand and smoothing out the paper. He skims over the letter, bending over to set it atop a neat pile of similar notes in his second drawer. “I can’t believe my very own soulmate learned how to bake a pie because of me,” Dean chuckles to himself. “How the hell am I supposed to top that?”

Dean hasn’t told anyone about the notes. He doesn’t quite know how to explain that he gathers them from within his soulmate visions. It makes no sense, yet he keeps a whole stack of them to himself. By a whole stack, he means every one of them, from the latest note down to the first one he got way back when Sam was a baby and Dean was only four. They’re all in that pile, except that first one was a drawing, not a letter. He’d hung it on his bedroom wall for years.

The dark thoughts are inevitable and Dean clutches the artwork in his hands, flopping onto his bed. He lays there wondering what his parents might think of him now, toying back and forth between the lines of hating fate to wishing for its certainty. His parents themselves were soulmates, destined for each other since birth, as the ritual goes. They’d fallen in love and gotten married, as many soulmate couples decide to do, and had two children. One could say Fate was in their favour back then.

One reason Dean remains skeptical about the nature of destiny is the traumatic memory of the night his childhood home caught on fire. All he can remember is his father running into the flames in a frantic search for their mother. His last words to Dean were to take baby Sam and get them as far away from the burning house as he could. Neither of his parents survived.

Could one still say Fate was in their favour after that? Dean doesn’t think so. Yet, it was a few nights later that Dean experienced his first soulmate vision, not that he knew what it was at the time, and got that crayon drawing of an angel from out of his dream. Perhaps, Fate has some decency. The drawing in question is glowing blue in his hands and Dean immediately takes that back. 

He’s received the Calling.

Looks like Dean’s heading on over to the Dreamscape to meet whoever C.N. will turn out to be the second he shuts his eyes. So much for a good night’s rest.

Fate is an asshole, and fucking hell, Koi No Yokan truly is a cruel son-of-a-bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty sure we all know who C.N. is... *side-eyes*
> 
> dean, however? well... uh.... not yet.

**Author's Note:**

> ➔ [reblog this fic on tumblr!](https://kitsunecastiel.tumblr.com/post/186030546902/read-chapter-one-here-title-koi-no-yokan-pairing)  
> ➔ [subscribe to me on AO3!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitsunecastiel/profile)
> 
> As I mentioned earlier, I hate to post-and-run yet I aim to begin a regular posting schedule as soon as I finish my fic for the DCBB (yikes!). Thanks for reading though, and I hope you enjoyed! Feedback is always appreciated. <3
> 
> \- Kit :)


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